Pupil, made to swallow pencil shavings, dies

**bender** · March 17th, 2006 11:32 AM

From - ABS-CBNNEWS

A second grader died after allegedly being made to swallow pencil shavings by her teacher, The World Tonight reported Thursday.

The principal of the girl's school assured the matter will be investigated.

Diana Redota thought an ordinary infection caused her daughter Madel's week-long fever so she was shocked when the child died Wednesday.

The cause of the child's illness was not immediately known.

But Madel's throat was swollen and she had difficulty speaking.

If Madel's classmate had not told them that the child was made to swallow pencil shavings she would not have known what happened to her daughter.

Madel was a grade two pupil at the Silangan Elementary School. According to her classmates their teacher thought Madel was the one who had scattered pencil shaving and was punished for it.

Although there was no autopsy, acute tonsillitis and asphyxiation pneumonia due to the extreme swelling of throat were stated as the official cause of death.

Madel's parents complained to principal Thursday but the concerned teacher was absent and could not be reached.

The principal promised to conduct an investigation on the issue.

The education department said if the teacher did cause Madel's death then she could be held criminally and administratively liable.

For Madel's parents their daughter's death was too big a penalty for any offense she may have committed.

Is that the quality of teachers that we have nowadays? It might not be well publicized but graphite is poisonous. What a waste of a life. The teacher's reaction is the same as that of an uneducated truck driver - evading responsibility.

**Kanut** · March 17th, 2006 11:34 AM

i saw that on the news last night.the teacher should be jailed.or one of her kids be fed the same thing

**Ebony** · March 17th, 2006 11:43 AM

What a waste of a life. I don't know what I will do if the child was one of my family. The teacher would be running for her life, that's for sure.

**ts1n1ta** · March 17th, 2006 11:51 AM

Arujosko! In the first place teachers aren't allowed to punish these kids. Something like 'sit in the corner' or 'stand in the corner' would do as punishment.

**mcbry** · March 17th, 2006 11:52 AM

the teacher must be punished for what she did.

**1D4LV** · March 17th, 2006 11:55 AM

actually, both the teacher and the parent is at fault here.
we all know the fault of the teacher.
the fault of the parent is not giving medical care immediately. umangal na daw yung bata sa nanay eh, wala pang ginawa.

**empy** · March 17th, 2006 11:57 AM

manslaughter? negligent homicide?

**RedHotBlood** · March 17th, 2006 12:06 PM

hayup na teacher yun! mamamatay ng bata. But sana napatingin na din agad ng magulang yung anak nila kung tumagal yung lagnat, well maybe baka wala ding pang-gastos, kawawa naman. Ganun na lang ba tingin ng mga teachers sa estudyante, hirap na hirap mga magulang mag paaral tapos papatayin lang nila.

**fast69** · March 17th, 2006 12:21 PM

dapat ipakain din sa teacher ung boung pencil ,isama na rin ung sharpener

**city** · March 17th, 2006 12:33 PM

child abuse resulting to manslaughter!

do we have anti child abuse law? what are these teachers thinking>? don't they have a child?

any form of punishment to a child is child abuse. children shouldn't be punished!